Swinging Chickens
by Gelles
Summary: The continuing adventures of a warrior, a thief, and a tavern with a really odd name. World of Warcraft
1. Part One

((Author's Note: A little diddy inspired by World of Warcraft. Liathano and Anri are two of my characters (Silver Hand and Cenarion Circle respectivly) while Alexy is an alt of my friend's, used with her permission. This story, although using characters I've ascribed personalities to, is copyright Blizzard Entertainment 2005, please don't sue and all that jazz. 

This story is rated PG... er... T(?) for minor swearing and violence and such.))

Swinging Chickens  
A World of Warcraft fanfic  
By Kristin Renee Taylor

Part One -

The bar was, for once, mercifully empty, quite a rare occasion for a normally occupied night. Liathano sat at the bar, nursing a cup of milk like it was possibly the last cup of milk on Azeroth. The bartender, a slim, handsome young human named Gorthad, stood at the other end of the bar, close enough to see if the green-clad female warrior needed refilling, but far enough away to not be in conversation range. He polished an ale mug in his hands with a cloth, the same mug he'd been polishing for an hour now. Tammie the Wench cleaned the empty tables idly. Dave the Bard sat in his usual corner and played craps with Fizzlethork the Goblin Bouncer. Other than those five, the tavern was deader than an Alliance graveyard.

Yep, all was peaceful and quiet. And boring. So very, very boring.

So when the door to the Swinging Chicken opened, most of those people looked up in immediate expectation of money with legs. What they got was a short, scrawny woman in faded black clothing that had seen better days, unarmed, and radiating the care-free attitude of the aimless wanderer and vagabond. Fizzlethork eyed the newcomer warily. Everybody else went back to what they were doing: nothing. Liathano alone ignored the woman entirely.

Humming tunelessly, the woman strode into the nearly empty tavern, nodding greetings to the employees. She plopped down on the stool next to Lia's, her black ponytail bobbing and swaying with her movements. She ordered ale, which Gorthad delivered with timely precision. She drink it all in one long guzzle, then slammed the empty mug down on the bar and released a loud, deep, satisfied belch. Only then did she turn to the morose warrior beside her. "Yo, Lia. Long time no speak."

"Yo"

"How's life treatin' ya?"

The warrior grunted without looking up from her milk.

Anri (for that was the newcomer's name) frowned slightly, a bit perturbed by her friend's despondency. Violet eyes narrowed in consternation as she studied the warrior. "Hm?" She grinned brightly. "Lemme guess: guy problems!"

Silence from the warrior.

Anri blinked. "Girl problems?"

Slowly, Liathano's head turned to glare at the thief, dark blue eyes hard as flint.

Oblivious, Anri continued her list. "Gnome problems? I know ya hate gnomes. Or is it Night Elf problems? Ya don't seem t' like them very much, even though they like ya a _whole_ lot!" Anri snickered. "Oh, wait, don't tell me. That shit with Tobias, that's what's got ya down, right? That whole 'wah wah my bro's tryin' t' kill me! Boo hoo woe is me!'" She grinned broadly. "That it?"

Almost too fast to be seen, Lia stood, sword out of her scabbard and in her hand as she started to round on the thief.

Even faster was Anri's knife appearing at Lia's throat. Liathano froze. The thief continued to smile pleasantly, but her eyes acquired the darker, harder look of a professional killer. "Here now," Anri said calmly, "no fightin', eh? We're all friends here. Right?"

For the space of three heartbeats, the tableau remained frozen, all eyes on the two women. And then, on some unseen signal, both woman relaxed and retook their seats. Liathano sheathed her sword. Anri's knife vanished back into the sleeve of her shirt. They ordered drinks. Gorthad delivered them gingerly, half-expecting either woman to chop off his hand at the slightest twitch. Only Fizzlethork seemed unfazed by the near double homicides.

Dave quietly excused himself, citing a need for new breeches.

Five minutes of silence reigned unchallenged.

Anri broke it first. "Ya need t' get laid, that's what."

Liathano glared at her. "Does everything devolve into sex with you?"

"Nah. It devolves to money, too."

Lia grunted sourly. "Thieving whore."

Anri slung an arm around Lia's shoulders and grinned. "I love ya, too, ya uptight Amazon meatshield."

Liathano made a sound that might've been laughter. "You only love yourself."

"Not true!" Anri declared, waving a finger in the air for emphasis. "There's the kid."

"'The kid.' Do you even know 'the kid's' name?"

Anri's mouth opened, then shut, then opened again in a toothy smile. "Does it matter?"

Liathano rolled her eyes. "I should've known."

"See? That's what I'm talkin' about!" Anri exclaimed. She drew Liathano into a headlock, ignoring the other woman's startled yell and struggling limbs. "What's it matter if I never say the kid's name?_ I_ know what it is, so stop concerning yerself with my shit!" Lia finally broke the hold, shoving Anri back into her stool. Liathano rubbed her throat, glaring.

Anri smirked. "Ya know what yer problem really is? Ya think too much."

"You don't think enough," Lia grated out immediately.

"And which of us is happier because of it?" Ignoring Liathano's startled look, Anri drained her mug, belched again, and stood. "Speakin' of the kid, I gotta go. She get's all freaked out when I'm not there." She winked at Liathano. "I told her I was pickin' up some food. Guess I outta do it, eh?" Laughing raucously, the thief strode out, ponytail bouncing jauntily on her way out.

Liathano glared at the door as it shut behind Anri. A polite cough made her whirl and snap "WHAT?"

Gorthad slid a piece of paper towards her. "Your bill." He added dryly, "I take it you'll be paying for your? friend, as well?"

"Yeah, right." She blushed, a little mortified. "Um, sure." She reached for her money pouch. And, then, frowning, she patted the place where she kept her second pouch. And then, frowning more, she looked inside her vest to see that the careful stitching of her hidden pocket had been cut, and all her money removed.

She looked up at Gorthad, who paled visibly, and said calmly, "I'm sorry, it seems as though I have no silver at the moment." She stood. "Will you pardon me?"

Gorthad nodded dumbly, silently praying to every deity imaginable that he never be the target of the look of Lia's face ever again.

Lia nodded. "Thanks." Picking up her sword, she walked slowly out of the tavern, softly shutting the door behind her.

Two seconds later:

"ANRI!"


	2. Part Two

((This story, although using characters I've ascribed personalities to, is copyright Blizzard Entertainment 2005, please don't sue and all that jazz.

This story is rated PG... er... T(?) for minor swearing and violence and such.))

Swinging Chickens

A World of Warcraft fanfic

By Kristin Renee Taylor

Part Two -

"ANRI!"

Full night had fallen upon the Swinging Chicken Tavern and the half dozen smaller dwellings that had sprung up around it. The wood and thatch houses squatted, huge hulking mounds of blackness in the crescent sliver of moonlight, normally lit from hearths within, but dark now. The tavern itself was the largest building of all, and it loomed behind Liathano, master of its meager subjects.

The sleepy hamlet (if one could even call it that) was not yet enough of a town to deserve a name, backwater as it was, but if the recent (and still uneasy) peace between the factions continued, this sleepy backwater 'burb promised to become a mighty focus of trade one day.

But that's not important at this moment. Moving on...

Liathano stalked away from the Swinging Chicken Tavern, eyes straining to pierce the darkness. With one moon barely out and the other not even there, finding that no-good vagabond thief would prove next to improbable.

Improbable, not impossible. There's a difference.

She had gotten about ten or fifteen feet away from the tavern when the difference became noticeable. A soft scuffling noise sounded off to Lia's right, quickly falling silent.

Lia stilled immediately, but the sound didn't repeat.

Lia smiled, dangerously. If that's the way she wants to play it... Tilting her head slightly, Lia exhaled a soft breathe, closed her eyes, and Listened.

There's hardly anything arcane about Listening, and even if there was, Lia's natural disgust for most magic in general would have prevented her from ever learning it. No, Listening was just as its name implied, Listening. Liathano pushed all other sensual awareness into the background, focusing solely on what her ears could hear. And this is what she heard:

Nothing.

No insects droning in the lazy summer air. No soft "whumps" of wingbeats overhead, bats or nighthawks or owls seeking a meal. No vermin, rats or mice, even the occasional raccoon. No horses in the stables next to the tavern, moving about or shifting in their sleep. Not even the wind moved; the air hung flat and oppressive around her.

Silence.

Stillness.

_Wrongness_.

Liathano ducked and, in doing so, saved her life. The blade of the axe cleaved through the space her neck had been a half-instant before. She transformed her motion into a backwards kick. Her boot connected solidly with something big, thick, and not Anri. It stumbled back a few paces, off-balance.

Lia whirled in a half-crouch to face her attacker and drew _Alennius_ from its scabbard. The sword, one of two her father had made before his death, came free with a ringing hiss, unnaturally loud in the unnatural silence. Archaic runes, hidden while she was in the tavern, flared into cold white light along the length of the blade.

In that stark light, Liathano beheld Galen, one of the foresters that labored in the surrounding woods. He and his wife and his two girls Addie and May lived in one of the hamlet's small huts. Or his family lived, at least. The tall brawny woodsman was most definitely not alive. _Alennius'_ light reflected his eyes dully, the normally warm brown orbs were filmed with heavy cataracts. A dark red slash along his throat betrayed the manner of his death. His shirt was almost black with his own blood. In hands the size of shovels he gripped his heavy axe.

He moved, swinging the axe down at Lia's head. She rolled away. The axe buried itself in the ground, throwing up dirt and gravel. Lia kicked him in the face, heard the bones of nose snap, and watched as it had no effect whatsoever. Galen grabbed her ankle, spun, and flung her through the air.

She flew fifteen yards, in the air the whole way, and crashed back first into the wall of a house hard enough to bounce off it, thudding to the ground. _Alennius_ sailed off, its light vanishing the instant it left her hand.

The night went scarlet and then plunged into darker blackness.

Lia twitched away from unconsciousness. Galen was charging her, axe held high overhead. She moved, or tried to. Her limbs jerked spastically, a sharp lance of pain stabbed her in the side, and she groaned in dismay. This was it.

A shadow flitted. A small figure hurtled out of the darkness, slamming feet first into the charging woodsman's shoulder just enough to throw him off his momentum. He staggered, tripped on his feet, and pitched to the ground, axe spinning away into the darkness.

Anri rebounded from her kick, somersaulting backwards to land in a crouch on the ground. Her clothing, nearly black, faded almost perfectly into the surrounding darkness. She had drawn a black mask over the lower half of her face, completing her motif.

Galen was rising. Liathano gasped out, trying to warn her. It wasn't necessary. As the big man charged her, Anri's hands blurred in a quick movement. Two knives sprouted from Galen's eyes, buried hilt first into his face. He made a noise, the first since he had attacked: a thick, liquid hissing and gurgling bubbled from the ruins of his throat, and Liathano realized he was trying to scream.

As he stumbled past Anri, blinded and clawing at the knives in his face, she flowed to one side. And then she went to work. Moving with cold, methodical precision, she attacked him, each blow with a sickening crunch as she pulverized joints, disabling him further. Her last blow swept his legs out from under him, and fell heavily to his back. His body, mostly useless now, twitched and jerked as he tried to rise.

Anri looked down at him for a moment. Then, she knelt, pulled her knives free with two quick tugs. They came free with a sickening squelch. Anri wiped both blades clean on the undead forester's shirt and returned them to their sheathes. Standing, she turned to where Liathano still lay. "Well?"

Lia climbed slowly to her feet, wincing as she drew in a breath. Looked like she had broken some ribs during her flying lesson. She looked about for _Alennius_ and found it lying several feet away. The blade flickered back to life as she picked it up. Then she turned to Anri. "What did you do?"

Anri snorted, her voice heavy with scorn. "What ya should've done instead of gawkin' like some brat, fresh from home." She kicked Galen. "Undead don't feel pain, that's why ya don't use swords, idiot. Crush their bones, keep 'em from movin'. Then kill 'em. Well, kill 'em again at any rate." She glanced down at the twitching body at her feet, and kicked it again. "Twitchy bastards."

"Stop that," Lia said, quietly and angrily. "He's a man."

"He was a man," Anri said, and the sneer was audible. "Now he's jus' a walkin', stinkin' pile of flesh with not enough decency to stay in his grave."

Fury colored Liathano's tone. "I know that 'walking, stinking pile of flesh.' I lived with his family. I've helped them with chores-"

"And now yer gonna help put 'im outta 'is misery, what with you two bein' friends and all." In _Alennius_' light, Anri's eyes were cold and uncompassionate. "And yer gonna do it fast. We don't gotta whole lotta time."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"What? Ya think this guy's the only one? The whole bloody town's dead, 'cept for those fools in the tavern! Only they ain't stayin' dead. They all upped and walked away, and they took the kids with 'em!" Anri's voice cracked with rage.

Liathano stared at her, eyes widening in understanding. She looked down at Galen, then around at the dark, silent houses.

Too silent. Dead, even.

"They took the children," Lia said softly. She glanced at Anri again. "All of them... including yours."

"Nobody steals from me," Anri said, eyes gleaming with hatred. "I do the stealing, not them." Spinning on her heel, she stalked away into the night.

Liathano watched her go until she faded from _Alennius_' light. Then she looked down, at the undead corpse of Galen, still twitching feebly.

Quietly, "I'll get them back. I promise." She gripped her sword's hilt in both hands and lifted it.

Moments later, Liathano jogged after Anri, _Alennius_ bouncing from the scabbard on her hip. She held one hand curled protectively around her chest, wincing sharply with each breath.

She left one corpse behind her. Unmoving.


	3. Part Three

((This story, although using characters I've ascribed personalities to, is copyright Blizzard Entertainment 2005, please don't sue and all that jazz.

This story is rated PG... er... T(?) for minor swearing and violence and such.))

Swinging Chickens

A World of Warcraft fanfic

By Kristin Renee Taylor

Part Three -

The Scourge never knew what hit it.

The undead legion had set up a camp, roughly three or so hours east of the Swinging Chicken and its sleepy hamlet. Two score undead (that's forty for you more modern people), had pitched tents and burned fires, slowly turning the valley they had occupied into a fortified position. They had chosen their location well: two tall hills to either side of them, and flat plains and grassland for miles around, almost guaranteed that any assaulting army would be spotted quickly. Wood had been dragged in, fashioned into huge stakes that had been driven into the ground. Any hero-wannabes on horseback would have to dismount or risk driving their horses right onto those stakes. Undead soldiers in tattered mail and burning eyes patrolled the hilltops tirelessly, continuously on the lookout for the inevitable Paladin-led invasion force.

They were prepared for an army. They got two angry women with an agenda.

_Alennius_ flashed. The skeletal soldier tumbled to the ground, its head rolling away into the darkness. Liathano turned, catching the blow aimed at her back from the soldier's partner on the flat of her blade. In the riot of sparks that burst out, Anri's form was a faint, lithe blur as the thief slash the second soldier's knee tendons. It toppled to the ground. Liathano beheaded it.

They were at the base of one hill, campside. No one had noticed them. Yet.

Moving together, the two women crouched in the shadow of a tent. Liathano sheathed _Alennius_, dousing its light.

Anri leaned forward, her lips close to Liathano's ears, mask tickling Lia's cheek. "Remember: five minutes 'til they find their buddies." Her words came out slightly slurred as she softened the esses to prevent them from carrying. "Find the kids. Get 'em out. I'll distract the corpses and meet ya'll at the farmhouse."

Liathano nodded.

Anri melted away into the darkness.

Liathano counted five seconds, then snuck into the camp proper.

Hasty reconnaissance at the top of the hill had shown Liathano that the camp had been pitched with no distinct order. None of the tents had seemed guarded, and remembering a path through the convoluted maze of canvas had been next to impossible.

So she dodged from tent to tent, half-crouched over her injured ribs. She tried her best to avoid patrols and staying in shadows whenever possible. Her route was more or less random, but she headed further in. If you had captured a bunch of children, you'd want them near the center of camp to make escape more difficult, right?

She was fast encroaching on Anri's five minute warning when she ran into trouble. Literally. Moving quickly to avoid a patrol, she ducked into an alley formed by two tents and slammed facefirst into another body.

They rebounded, although Lia kept her balance. The woman (for it was a woman) fell backwards and landed on her butt

Short, with the stocky strength of a woman long used to manual labor, the dark-haired woman stared up at Liathano. A basket of arrows had fallen when she had, and now lay scattered along the ground.

"Mina?" Liathano said softly, surprised.

Galen's wife stared at Liathano in total silence.

Too late, Lia noticed the hole in Mina's chest, where her heart would've been.

Mina screamed.

Lia moved, her sword cleaving Mina's head from her shoulders in a brief flash of argent light. The scream stopped immediately, but the damage had been done. Lia's cover had been blown.

The night lit up with shouts and torches.

Lia hopped the body (-think of it as a body, not the person who'd serve you dinner seven hours ago and asked you if you had wanted seconds and by the way she'd made you a new shirt and patched up your old one and especially don't think about the fact that you'll have to see her kids and explain why mommy's and daddy's blood is on your sword, oh _light_ don't think about that-) and plunged with reckless abandon into a bonfire-lit clearing.

Three undead in moldy chainmail and swords like large saplings were waiting for her. A fourth soldier aimed a crossbow at her face.

She didn't stop, barely slowed even, but threw herself at the soldiers with a scream of primal rage. A bolt whisked past her, drawing a line of pain along her right temple that she didn't feel. _Alennius_ flared, pure argent flame as she brought the sword down on the first soldier, cleaving it in half from head to crotch before the group could even react. She whirled, hacking the head from the shoulders of a second soldier, and her momentum carried her around to parry the third soldier's blow. Steel met steel in a shower of sparks. The force of soldier's blow drove her to one knee, muscles locked and straining against the undead's inhuman strength.

Movement from the corner of her eyes.

Lia broke her hold, sliding the undead's greatsword to one side, and rolled away as the fourth undead's mace slammed into the spot where she had been. She gained her feet and lunged forward, driving _Alennius_ into the mace-wielder's chest all the way to the hilt.

It stared down at the sword, then at her, and started laughing. Skeletal fingers closed around her throat like a cold vise. It lifted her easily into the air. Liathano's vision started to go black.

And that's when the world exploded.

An inhuman shriek rent the air. The ground heaved and bucked, throwing the two undead to the dirt. Lia jammed a knife into the soldier's wrist, twisted it, and cut herself free. Pausing only to yank _Alennius_ from the thing's chest, she scrambled away and dove into the nearest tent.

The undead's severed hand was still squeezing her throat. She wrenched it off and flung it away, then knelt on the dirt, sucking in air through teeth clenched in pain. The appendage bounced away, twitching, and came to a rest at the feet of a eight year old girl who shrieked and dove behind another girl.

_Alennius_' revealed that the tent was full of children, nine all told, of various ages and sexes. The eldest, a young woman barely sixteen, wore a dingy white robe and stood protectively in front of the group, despite being obviously terrified herself.

Lia got awkwardly to her feet. "May?" Her voice rasped.

The shrieker poked her head out from behind the oldest girl. She sniffled. "L-lia?" The warrior lifted her glowing sword slightly, angling it so it illuminated her face better. The girl's eyes went wide. "LIA!" And then she threw herself on Liathano, bawling in terror. The rest of the children's paralysis broke, and they swarmed over her, sobbing and crying.

Lia did her best to calm the group down. They did so reluctantly. She explained the escape plan. "I'll go first. When I give the all clear, follow me. Keep calm, and keep quiet. We'll get out of this fine."

"You're hurt," the oldest girl said. She stepped forward and touched a hand to Lia's shoulder.

Lia touched her face. Her fingers came away sticky with her blood. She forced a cocky grin on her face anyway. "I'm a big warrior. I'll be fine."

The girl gave her an odd look, but nodded and pulled away.

Lia detached herself from the group and went to the entrance of the tent. She drew it back enough to peer outside.

The camp was in chaos. Several tents were on fire, and undead rushed about aimlessly. Shouts filled the air, along with something else Lia couldn't identify. The two soldiers Lia had dispatched still lay where they had fallen; no sign of the other two.

Nobody was paying any attention to the tent.

Liathano stepped outside, _Alennius_ held loosely in one hand. She beckoned. For a long moment, nothing happened, then the eldest girl stepped out, May's little sister Addie clutched in her arms. The other children crept out after her.

Lia pointed south. "Go. I'll cover our backs."

Horses screamed. A wagon slewed out of the darkness drawn by two half-crazed draft horses. It rocked to a stop a short distance away as the driver fought to control the beasts.

"Get in!" The driver shouted, pointing to the back of the wagon. Anri's mask was gone, her face covered with streaks of blood and ash. She was grinning broadly.

Liathano shook her head. "What the hell did you do, Anri?"

"Later!" The thief said. "In! Now!"

Sheathing _Alennius_, Lia helped the children into the back of the wagon. She was swinging herself in as well, when the horses reared, neighing in terror, and bolted, nearly spilling Liathano back onto the ground. Somehow she clung on, and waded through the wailing children to clamber into the seat next to Anri.

Lia had to shout to be heard. "I thought we were going to meet at the farmhouse."

"Change in plans," Anri shouted back. She hauled on the reigns barely wrestling the horses onto the dirt track that wound between the wooden stakes. She flashed Lia a bright smile. "There was some trouble."

Before Lia could ask what sort of trouble, the night abruptly turned a sickly bright green. Lia spun in her seat to see a huge thing rising from the center of the Scourge camp. Black stone and green fire towered overhead.

The Infernal shrieked again. It sounded hungry.

Beside her, Anri laughed nervously. "See, there was this warlock..."

"Oh, hell," Liathano muttered.


	4. Part Four

((This story, although using characters I've ascribed personalities to, is copyright Blizzard Entertainment 2005, please don't sue and all that jazz.

This story is rated PG... er... T(?) for minor swearing and violence and such.))

Swinging Chickens

A World of Warcraft fanfic

By Kristin Renee Taylor

Part Four -

For the second time that night (or the first time that morning, if you preferred), the door to the Swinging Chicken tavern burst open. Of course, given that it was only a few hours or so until dawn, the only people present were Dave the Bard and Fizzlethork. Dave was asleep, wrapped up in his cloak by the smoldering hearth, one hand curled protectively about his lute.

Fizzlethork, one hundred and eighty pounds of compacted muscular goblin, had also been sleeping in his usual spot: right in front of the door. Heavy oak met grouchy goblin with a resounding crash that sent the little green fellow sprawling into the tavern proper. He bounded to his feet, gripping a rather large mace in his hands, and rambled off something in his native tongue that sounded angry and full of swears. Dave the Bard shot upright, brandishing his lute. "I didn't do it!" He screamed in a startlingly high-pitched tone.

Liathano paid neither the irate goblin or panicked bard no mind. She strode inside and bellowed "GORTHAD!"

Fizzlethork stomped towards her, fully intending to throw her out. He was foiled by the small mob of children that followed Liathano inside. He stared at them in bafflement.

Gorthad appeared from the second story, wearing a long white robe and carrying a candle. He rubbed his face blearily. Tammie the Wench appeared at the doorway leading into the kitchen, a short portly woman beside her. Maggie was the resident cook in the tavern.

Gorthad took in the scene below with some confusion. "What's all this?"

Liathano begin shoving tables and chairs away from the center of the room. She talked while she worked. "There are a lot of pissed off undead coming here. They're about a half hour behind us, maybe more."

A chorus of panicked questions flew through the air. This touched off the children, who added their own voices by crying loudly. Lia tolerated the noise for about four seconds.

"Shut up, all of you! SHUT UP!"

Miraculously, they all obeyed.

Liathano frowned at Gorthad. "All the adults around here were killed and turned into undead. The children had been captured but Anri and I rescued them a few hours ago." Her eyes narrowed. "You mean to tell me that you never noticed any of this?"

Gorthad gaped at her. It was Dave that answered, his voice shaking so badly he stammered. "Scuh- scourge can't get into the tavern. Wuh- we had a pruh- priest wuh-ward the door." He pointed a trembling finger at the door, indicating a bunch of looping swirls carved into the wood.

Someone had obliterated one of the swirls. Carved in tiny yet precise letters was the sentence "ANRI WAS HERE."

A muscle in Liathano's jaw twitched. She turned a flat stare on Gorthad. "Start barricading the windows."

As chaos ensued, Liathano stepped outside.

A stables had been built behind the tavern. Lia circled around the building, spying the unhitched wagon in front of the stables. Anri must have taken the horses inside.

As she approached, she heard voices and what sounded like muffled crying. Puzzled, Liathano crept closer until she could make them out.

Anri's voice wafted towards her on the still air. "Stop apologizin', I know it ain't yer fault. Nobody ever _means_ t' get kidnapped."

Whoever Anri was talking to answered in a quiet, tearful tone, too low for Liathano to make out. She moved a little closer.

"'Mad at ya?'" Anri said, sounding a little surprised. "Why the hells would I be mad at ya? It ain't like this is yer fault. Hells, kid, if anything I'm proud of ya fer not freakin' out and turnin' into a total mess."

Liathano crouched at the stable entrance. By leaning enough to peer inside, she could make out two shapes. Anri and one of the captured children, the oldest girl in her white robe, stood inside of an empty stall. Anri leaned against the wall of the stall, her arms folded.

It was the girl who was crying. She sniffled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her robe. She spoke quietly, and Lia had to strain to hear her. "I couldn't do anything."

Anri snorted. "Ya did plenty. Ya kept the brats calm enough for Lia t' get t' ya'll. Ya didn't pitch a fit when ya saw the horses." Anri smiled suddenly, a smile full of warmth and fierce pride, completely at odds with how Liathano normally saw her. "And don't think I didn't see what'cha did for Lia."

The girl looked embarrassed. "She was hurt..."

"She's a lotta things, the least of which is being too dumb t' notice somethin' unless it smacks 'er in the face." A brief pause, then, "Yer gettin' better." The smile faded into a look of concern. "We'll talk about this later. Ya better get inside. It's gonna get nasty."

The girl nodded and moved to turn away. Anri straightened. "Hey."

The girl paused, and Anri stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. The thief's voice turned gruff. "I'm sorry, kid. It's my fault that we're in this mess t' begin with. But don't worry, I'm gonna get us out, too. I promised I'd never let anything hurt ya, and I meant it."

Liathano pulled back, and sat on the ground. Her mind whirled. _Who knew? Anri _does_ have soft side..._

A moment later, the girl walked out, passing Liathano without noticing her. Wood creaked, and Liathano glanced up to see Anri leaning on the half-wall, watching the girl walk towards the tavern.

Anri said flatly, "Ya tell anyone about this and I'm gonna kill ya."

Liathano grinned. "Why, Anri-"

Anri punched the top of Liathano's head, producing a satisfying yelp of pain. Liathano shot to her feet, rounding on the shorter woman. Anri stared back blandly. "Problem?"

Liathano opened her mouth, thought better of it, and grunted. She rubbed her head. "That's 'the kid,' huh?" Anri nodded and Liathano said, "What did you mean when you said you saw what she did to me? What did she do?"

Anri stared at her in disbelief. She shook her head, laughing quietly, and stepped around to exit the stables. "Dumber than a brick."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Anri said as she walked away, "that you can breathe."

"Of course I can breathe. I've always been able to-" Liathano froze, staring down at herself. "I can breathe..." She ran a hand along her ribs, then took a deep breathe. Nothing. Not even the barest twinge of pain.

Her ribs had been healed. But, when?

_/"You're hurt," the oldest girl said. She stepped forward and touched a hand to Lia's shoulder._

_Lia touched her face. Her fingers came away sticky with her blood. She forced a cocky grin on her face anyway. "I'm a big warrior. I'll be fine."_

_The girl gave her an odd look, but nodded and pulled away.\\\_

Lia shook her head. "Liathano, you're an idiot..." Smiling to herself, she jogged after Anri. They re-entered the tavern together.

"Wow..." Anri said. Liathano privately agreed.

Gorthad hadn't wasted time. He, Dave, and Fizzlethork had cleared the entire floor. Tables heaped upon tables blocked every window. The fire had been rebuilt until it was burning furiously; any undead that tried to get in through the chimney were in for a nasty surprise.

Gorthad, dressed in a raggedy, too big leather jerkin and holding a rusty looking saber, was making the final inspections of the hastily-built barricades. He waved the two women inside impatiently. Fizzlethork shut the door, then crammed a few chairs behind it. Dave turned to Lia. "Tammie and Maggie took the children into the basement. Dave's going to go down there with them."

"What!" The bard said in mighty indignation. "And miss out on the fight of the century? Imagine the song that I can make from this!"

Anri drew a knife.

"Going." The bard whimpered and slunk into the kitchen.

Liathano said, "What about upstairs?"

"I'll handle that," Dave said. He lifted his sword and ran a thumb down the blade. "Been awhile since me and Ol' Trudy have had to fight, but I think we'll manage."

Lia nodded. "Anri, cover the stairs, and be ready to assist us. Fizzlethork, you take the kitchen and the backdoor. I'll hold them here."

Anri looked at the size of the tavern. "This's a lotta space. Sure ya can hack it?"

In answer Liathano drew _Alennius_. She smiled, dangerously. "I'll be fine."

The small group (three humans and one goblin) looked at each other. Silent nods were exchanged, and then they parted.

Alone, Liathano paced the empty tavern floor before giving up and sinking to her knees in the center. _Alennius_ lay before her. She slowed her breathing, forcing calmness upon her body.

Time passed, measured only in heartbeats and deep breathes. A heavy thunk, the crack of splintering wood as an axe was driven into it, and woke Lia from her meditation. She rose to her feet, _Alennius_ in hand, as the door gave way. Red eyes gleamed as the first undead forced its way inside the tavern.

Liathano grinned. "Time to dance."


	5. Part Five

((This story, although using characters I've ascribed personalities to, is copyright Blizzard Entertainment 2005, please don't sue and all that jazz.

This story is rated PG... er... T(?) for minor swearing and violence and such.))

Swinging Chickens  
A World of Warcraft fanfic  
By Kristin Renee Taylor

Part Five -

Two points of burning red in what was left of the ruined face. The undead soldier, a huge hulking skeleton in scraps of metal, tore down the door to the Swinging Chicken and took it first step inside the tavern. Twin axes in its hands reflected the firelight. It fixed its gaze on the lone female human that stood in the middle of the empty commons.

One axe pointed at her. "Kill her."

The space behind the soldier boiled and burst as, with a hair-lifting wail, the Scourge surged into the tavern.

As the rush of ghouls and skeletons swarmed towards her, Liathano moved.

Her sword was a blur of light in her hands, and where _Alennius_ passed, limbs flew and bodies crumpled in severed heaps. As the first wave crashed into her, she held her ground but, slowly, she begin to lose ground.

A ghoul, flesh peeling in strips from its rotting body, leaped for her. She sidestepped, spinning away in time to cleave the wrist from a soldier aiming a sword at her face. The soldier's shield caught her under her jaw. She stumbled to a knee, spitting blood, and barely parried a knife blow. She turned the blow away from her, rising and cleaving the soldier completely in two.

She shoved the body into two of its fellows, followed with a quick decapitation. A flicker of movement resolved into sword blade. She ducked away, too slow. Felt the blade draw a line of heat over her right eye. Blood flowed down her face, into her right eye, blinding her.

She caught a brief glimpse of Anri as she disabled her attacker. The lithe thief had been pinned against the stairs by a rotting ghoul almost twice her size. With one hand and a badly bleeding arm, she kept the thing's claws away from her face.

Hot pain exploded in Lia's shoulder as something heavy slammed into her blind side. She staggered. Fell. And was immediately buried in walking death.

Liathano was swallowed by absolute darkness, smothered by an ice-cold weight that made it impossible to move, to see, or even breathe. Small things, wet and slimy, squirmed against her clothing and writhed against her exposed skin. The only thing keeping her from screaming in terror was the thought of those things getting in her mouth.

A muffled, high-pitched roar of outrage.

Something struck the crush of bodies on top of Lia. The quality of the darkness changed. Weight shifted, not a lot... but it was enough.

Lia surged upwards with strength born of terror and horror. The mass broke. She burst free from the tangle of cold bodies, scrambling across the floor. She flailed madly at her body as she stood. Scores of small black things, like some weird maggot-leech crossbreed, clung to her skin and clothes. She knocked them off frantically.

"Liathano!"

She jerked to the side. The axe blade whistled past her face and thunked into the wood behind her and stuck, handle quivering. The blow to her jaw came from her blind side. She staggered back and fell hard to one knee, spitting blood.

Dirty boots, skeletal toes poking through holes in the leather, entered her vision. She followed them up to see the massive skeleton standing over her, its other axe raised and poised to strike.

She reached for her sword, realized she had lost it in the pile of bodies, and threw herself backwards to avoid having her head split open. Her hands came across something heavy and weighty, and she snatched it up as she came to her feet-

holding a somebody's hacked off leg. She dropped it with a yell of revulsion. Ducked a swing from the soldier's axe. She spun, wrenched the first axe free of the wall, and whirled back to face the soldier.

Not her weapon of choice, but still much better than a severed leg...

The two axes clashed together, haft locked against haft. Lia was strong, but the undead had the advantage of not feeling pain or muscle fatigue. She strained against it, teeth gritted, every muscle rigidly defined. Inch by inch, the soldier's axe blade crept closer to her face.

Green and black blurred past her face. A heavy mace smashed into the side of the soldier's knee, obliterating the joint. Lia shoved hard. The skeleton tumbled backwards, flame-red eyes bright with astonishment. It hit the floor. The mace came down on its head, crushing the skull. It twitched once and went still.

Lia looked to her savior. "Fizzlethork!"

From head to foot the goblin was spattered with black ichor. Beady black eyes glared around suspiciously. He gripped a large mace in his hands.

Liathano looked around. The commons was clear, save for the two of them. Bodies and severed limbs, many still twitching, lay scattered about the floor. The door to the tavern hung askew, knocked off its hinges.

"Where's-"

Glass shattered. Several thumps as something or somethings large hit the ground on the floor above them. A short, high-pitched scream of pain.

Lia rushed towards the stairs. "Anri!" The thief was gone from her position.

"GET BACK!"

The front of the tavern exploded.

The explosion knocked Lia off of her feet, flinging her against the stairs. She hit hard enough to stun her, all air driven from her lungs. Fizzlethork vanished under a wave of fire and debris. Obsidian and emerald fire plowed through the tavern's front wall, literally tearing it clear of the rest of the building.

Coughing, Lia struggled to her feet and squinted through the acrid smoke, eyes watering.

True night had ended. Pre-dawn light tinted the world outside a universally dull blue.

An Infernal tossed away the now-flaming section of wall it held. It turned back towards the tavern. It shrieked and reached into the tavern with one flaming arm.

Lia rolled forward, narrowly ducking away from the flames. Fire scorched along her back, singing her hair. She ignored the pain. The Infernal's explosion had knocked away the bodies covering _Alennius_. She grasped the hilt as she rushed past the Infernal's arm, sprinting outside and past the thing's legs.

The entire front of the Swinging Chicken Tavern had been torn away, exposing the rooms inside. Shapes flickered in the upper story, lit by the Infernal's fire and the tavern's growing flames. Anri and Gorthad, back to back, fending off an assault of dark winged shapes. Gargoyles.

The Infernal rose up to its full height, obscuring the battle behind it with its body. It swung around to face Liathano.

She lifted her sword into a ready position. She barely came up to the thing's knee.

It shrieked again, green fire erupting from under the animated chunks of obsidian rock. It tried to crush her. She leaped back, the Infernal's fist smashing into the ground. Green fire spattered across the earth like drops of water, igniting anything it touched. She brought _Alennius_ down on the section of rock that made up its hand. The blade skittered across the surface of the rock and didn't even leave a scratch.

The Infernal made a strange chuffing noise. It was laughing at her.

Lia backed away, thinking rapidly. A movement caught her attention. She glanced towards it.

Anri stood at the edge of the tavern, unconcerned with the flames that licked dangerously close to her feet, threatening the stability of her position. She called out, "Lia! Get the 'lock!" She pointed behind Liathano.

Lia spun. Spotted a small, hunched shape slide into the shadows of a building. The warlock, rabid red eyes glowing fiercely, lifted a desiccated finger towards her and begin chanting in a raspy, thin tone. She ran forward, _Alennius_ held in low in both hands. The sky above her erupted, balls of flame hurtled towards her. She threw her weight forward, lunging, and stabbed the warlock through its chest. _Alennius_ plunged clear through the husk of the body, nailing it to the wood behind it. She wrenched the blade out, then plunged it through the undead magician's head, silencing it forever.

The Infernal screamed.

Lia spun and immediately dropped to the ground to avoid a shaft of flaming timber as it crashed into the house, demolishing it.

The demonic creature threw its head back, roaring in fury.

Anri sprinted forward and launched herself off the second story, towards the Infernal's back. One hand jerked a short sword from the small of her back; near-blinding purple energy exploded into existence along the length of the blade.

Wielding the sword over her head in a two-handed grasp, the thief brought the glowing blade down on the Infernal's shoulder. It screeched, a sound of stone scraping against stone. Staggered away from the tavern, arms flailing at its back. Anri was flung away, flying through the air to strike the ground some distance away. She didn't move.

"Anri!" Lia ran towards the fallen woman.

The Infernal cut her off. Jagged cracks had formed in its chest, originating from the sword in its back. It dropped to its knees. Its shriek scaled upwards, rattling the ground and air. It thrashed mightily. And exploded.

Lia through up her arms as thousands of razor sharp shards of stone flew past her, each drawing sharp lines of pain along her body.

One shard slipped past her arms. Pain erupted in Liathano's throat. The storm of stone ended as quickly as it had begun, leaving an unearthly stillness in the air.

Lia pawed at her neck with frantic fingers. She couldn't breathe. Her throat was rapidly growing slick with blood. She could feel the stone inside of her, working its way deeper with every desperate breath she tried to take.

She didn't want to die. Not like this!

Anri coughed weakly and rose, groaning. Her movements dislodged a small shower of black shards. She stood slowly, right arm dangling uselessly at her side. She coughed out a laugh as she surveyed the ruins of the battle. "Holy hell, that was some awe-" Her eyes landed on the struggling warrior. She paled. "Lia?"

Liathano staggered. Through a roaring in her ears, she heard Anri shout "ALEXY!" And then she was pitching forward. Her body hit the ground.

Everything went black.


	6. Part Six

((This story, although using characters I've ascribed personalities to, is copyright Blizzard Entertainment 2005, please don't sue and all that jazz.

This story is rated PG... er... T(?) for minor swearing and violence and such.))

Swinging Chickens  
A World of Warcraft fanfic  
By Kristin Renee Taylor

Part Six -

Darkness.

She fell through endless night, surrounded by a sea of blackness.

Fragments of light. Snatches of memory. A sound. Her name.

"Liathano?"

Her lips moved silently: "Tobias."

_He sidestepped her clumsy thrust. Deflected her backhand with a contemptuous flick of his wrist. As she stumbled, off-balance, his foot kicked out, catching her in the back of a knee. She tumbled to the ground, catching herself on hands and knees before she fell face-first into the mud._

_He circled her, the point of his sword describing small ellipses in the air over her head. He sighed, deeply and with disappointment. "I taught you better than this, Liathano."_

_Rain had plastered her clothing and hair to her body, soaked through the bandage wrapped around her right thigh. She glared down at the mud beneath her and said nothing._

_Tobias' boots squelched as he paced around her. "I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. This isn't my fault."_

_Rainwater mixed with the tears on her face. "You killed Matthews."_

_"No," Tobias said calmly. "I did not. One of my men did, and, for that he was summarily punished." His voice took a sharper tone of disapproval. "By you, I might add." He paused. "You've gotten your revenge. No need to turn this into a meaningless and pointless vendetta."_

_Rage flared through her, tensing her body. "Meaningless?_ Pointless!_" She pushed herself into a crouch, glaring balefully up at him. "You killed my brother! You destroyed everything I've cared about! I HATE YOU!" She lunged._

_He slammed her down effortlessly, knocking her flat on her back. The heel of his boot came down on her injured thigh. She shrieked in agony, her screams echoing throughout the forest._

_He crouched over her as she curled up, sobbing, hands grasping her thigh. The arrow-wound had reopened; crimson saturated the muddy linen bandage. "Let's not do this, little sister," Tobias said in that infuriatingly calm voice._

_She rolled, her fist flying out towards his face. "You are not my brother!"_

_He caught her wrist with his free hand. The other plunged his sword into the mud by her head. Sternly, "Stop this, Liathano, before you get seriously hurt."_

_"I won't." She heaved against him, breathing ragged from pain and rage and heavy grief. Her eyes were two narrowed points of fury. "I won't rest until I've killed you."_

_He sighed again. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" His hand tightened on her wrist. "Goodbye, little sister." And with that, he broke her arm._

Liathano bolted upright, a scream strangling her throat. Hot pain flared in her right arm and leg. She curled up on her side, knees drawn tight against her chest, breathing coming in ragged sobs.

Eventually, reality reasserted itself. She was not alone in a forest, slowly bleeding to death. Matthews, her brother, was dead, and had been for four and a half years now. Tobias was still alive.

Damn.

She was on a pallet on the floor of an otherwise empty room. Sunlight streamed in through a window over her head. A hearth in the wall lay dead, scattered with cold ashes. Her clothes were gone; she wore a simple white shift. Her dark blonde hair hung loosely about her shoulders. Sitting up again, she twitched the covers aside and examined herself.

The old scar was still there, a patch of lighter skin on her right thigh just beneath her hip. Her right arm was unmarked, but the phantom pain flared again as she ran her fingers along her forearm.

"You're finally awake?"

Liathano blinked, coming back to the present. She lifted her head, dropping her hands. Dave the Bard smiled sheepishly, his fair complexion going a little red. He sported an armful of blankets in his arms and a bandage around his temples. Liathano blushed herself (thankfully not _too_ noticeable thanks to her dusky skin) upon remembering just how short that shift was. She pulled the blanket back up, covering herself again.

"What-" Her voice was a hoarse rasp. She coughed and tried again, with slightly better results. "What happened?"

Immediately Dave's eyes lit up (What sane bard could pass up the chance to tell a story?) and he hunkered down by her pallet to regale her with tales of her own heroics.

He had seen the whole thing. Ignoring Liathano's orders (and Anri's implicit threat), he'd snuck upstairs to watch Fizzlethork clean out the few undead that had tried to enter the kitchen. The little goblin had gone a long way towards proving why he'd been hired as a bouncer; he had taken out undead left and right, simply crushing them into submission with his black mace. When Fizzlethork had cleared out the kitchen and charged into the commons, Dave had oh so discreetly followed. He was just in time to see Lia get taken down by the undead. Fizzlethork had rushed in and-

"I know about that part," Lia said, lifting a hand to stop the bard. "What happened afterwards?"

Dave looked a little peeved at her interruption. "Yes... Afterwards..." He cleared his throat.

Lia and Anri had destroyed the Infernal. With both the demon elemental and the warlock binding it gone, the remnants of the Scourge force had quickly fled. Victory had seemed short lived, however. Fizzlethork had been buried under debris from the demolished Tavern. The compact humanoid had lived, but his body had been severely burned from flaming wreckage. Anri had broken her right arm and shoulder in three places. Maggie, Tammie, and the hiding children had escaped the tavern unscathed, but Gorthad had been bitten by a few gargoyles; a deep cut had laid his thigh open almost to the bone.

And then there was Liathano.

"You took a chunk of that thing right into your throat. We all thought you weren't going to make it, but that girl of Anri's, Alexy... turns out she was a priestess-in-training. She did what she could for you and the others, but..." Dave trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

Liathano touched her throat. Her fingers brushed against a narrow band of skin along her windpipe, smoother than the rest of her throat and numb to the touch. A scar.

She looked at Dave. "...my voice..?"

He spread his hands and looked at her helplessly.

Lia let her hand drop limply into her lap. "Well... That's... upsetting." Hard to tell now if the hoarseness in her voice was from the injury or emotion. She faked a smile anyway. "I'm glad you and the others are all right."

Dave wasn't fooled, and they both knew it. He didn't call her on it, though. He said, "Anyway, that was a couple of days ago. You've been in and out of it for most of that time. Gorthad's got your sword. He's outside if you want to talk to him..." He stood. "I should probably go. Maggie wanted these blankets hours ago." He backed away.

When he was gone, Lia stretched back out in her pallet, staring up at the rafters. In time, she fell asleep again.

She didn't dream.

She woke up sometime later, feeling groggy and disoriented. She had slept long enough for night to fall; starlight shone in through the window. A fire had been built in the hearth.

The young woman, Alexy, sat against one wall close to Liathano's pallet, deep asleep. A blanket partially covered her.

"She tried t' heal ya again, y'know."

Lia sat up as Anri stepped out of the shadows.

The thief had changed. Lines of exhaustion marked her face and dulled her eyes. A thin swath of her hair along her left temple had gone white. She looked worried.

Anri bent by the hearth, stirring the fire up a bit. Then she straightened and, arms folded, turned a troubled frown on the sleeping priestess. "I told 'er not t', but she didn't listen. It ain't 'er fault she can't do nothin' about yer voice. She ain't a full-fledged priestess. But she kept tryin'." Anri huffed a sigh. "And now lookit 'er. Wiped 'erself out."

Lia watched her as the thief crouched by Alexy and arranged the blanket on the girl. She said, voice made quieter by its hoarseness, "She means a lot to you."

Anri snorted and sat against the wall, next to Alexy. "She's too good of a kid t' be hangin' 'round me. Soon as I can, I'm ditchin' 'er somewhere safe." The girl mumbled in her sleep, sliding closer to Anri, her head resting on the thief's shoulder. Anri adjusted her position to make them more comfortable without even seeming aware she was doing so.

Lia fought down a smirk. Barely. She said, "Why don't you take her home, then?"

Anri's glare prompted a laugh from Liathano. "And spend hours listenin' to the fam' make condescendin' remarks?" The fake accent dropped from her voice as she spoke in the haughty, aristocratic tone she had grown up with. "'Your behavior reflects badly upon the Potavanis, Anri. When are you going to stop being selfish and outgrow this childish phase, Anri? Your brother is a very respected mage, Anri, why can't you be more like him? It would be ever so nice if you gave up your individuality and became a prim, proper woman of the court, Anri.'" Anri snorted again, scornfully. "Fuck that crap. I didn't run away just to go begging for help later on. I've grown rather attached to being independent.

"Which is why we're leaving in the morning." Anri grinned at Liathano, scratching her hair. "Rider came in. Big group of pallys'll be 'ere in t' mornin'."

"A little late, aren't they? I mean we've already dealt with-" Lia stopped, and her eyes narrowed on Anri's face.

Anri lifted her hands, an innocent grin on her face and mischief blazing in her eyes. "Weren't me, I swear."

Liathano sighed, shaking her head. "And people say trouble follows _me_ everywhere I go..." She eyed Anri. "Are you going to give me back my money before you run off with your tail between your legs?"

An expression flickered across Anri's face, quickly hidden. Blandly, "I dunno what yer talkin' about."

"My money. You stole it from me before all this mess started." Anri stared at her. "In the Tavern? You know, a few nights ago?" Anri's gaze remained blank, and Liathano narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I _know_ you remember."

"Oh, ya mean _this_?" Anri said, her lips quirking up in a malicious smile full of teeth. From inside her shirt she withdrew a small pouch that jingled as the coins within shifted.

"Yes," Lia huffed. "That." She reached out to grab the sack.

Anri pulled it out of reach. She wagged a finger at Lia. "Finders keepers."

"You didn't find that money! You stole it! From _me_!"

Anri lifted an eyebrow cooly. She detached herself from Alexy and stood, staring down at Liathano. "Ya callin' me a thief?"

"Give me my money!" She lunged at Anri. They hit the floor together, struggling over the sack of coins. Anri slipped free of Lia's grasp and crouched a short distance away. She grinned. "Y'know, ya really need t' relax. Yer a recoverin' gimp and all."

"You won't call me gimped when I _kick your ass_!'" Liathano roared. She charged the thief. Anri dodged nimbly and, laughing, sprinted outside, the furious warrior on her heels. Soon, the sounds of their brawl had woken everyone in the area.

Yep. It was just another night at the Swinging Chicken...


End file.
